


The Cheshire Cat in My Head

by Psyched_Savant



Category: Harley Quinn (Cartoon 2019)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon Continuation, Drama & Romance, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Romance, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Mutual Pining, Post-Canon, Psychological Disorder, Psychological Trauma, Self-Reflection, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-20
Updated: 2020-08-30
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:40:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,570
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26013505
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Psyched_Savant/pseuds/Psyched_Savant
Summary: Things were finally falling into place.Harley got the girl. They literally and figuratively ride off into the sunset Thelma-and-Louise style. GCPD is hot on their heels as they share a loving kiss in their pink convertible against a Gotham backdrop. So, what could go wrong?For starters, Harley is missing. Sort of.OrA post season 2 story where they work their shit out because Love is hard.
Relationships: Harley Quinn/Poison Ivy, Pamela Isley & Harleen Quinzel, Pamela Isley/Harleen Quinzel, Posion Ivy/Harley Quinn
Comments: 21
Kudos: 112





	1. Mistakes and a Compromise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd like to preface this story with a reference from 1x05: I wouldn't think too hard about Brain Logic for this entire story

Successfully fleeing the police is one of the many tricks that Harley Quinn had to master in order to survive the streets of Gotham City. With an unhinged Gordon speeding right behind them, Harley had to take “driving like a maniac” on a whole new level. Fortunately for her, she is accompanied by her hot and powerful metahuman best friend.

Ivy clambered to the back seat of the car and faced the police. With a flick of her hand, thick thorny vines emerged on both sides of the highway, wrapping itself on the fleet of cars chasing them. The cars were lifted off the ground and were unceremoniously flung on the opposite side of the road. With GCPD taken care of, Ivy went back to the front seat.

“That was awesome, Ive!” Harley proudly exclaimed. “Where to now?”

At some point, it was mutually decided that going back to the dead mall was a no-go. This left them with Ivy’s old apartment as their only option for the night.

“Dude, I am so fucking pooped” Harley muttered as she flopped onto Ivy’s couch, head thrown back at the headrest.

“Harls, a little help here?” Ivy sat on Harley’s lap and pointed at the small clasp on the back of her wedding dress. Harley lifted her head and obliged at the request.

Ivy was about to stand when she felt Harley’s arms curl around her waist. Shortly after, kisses were trailed at the expanse of her back, shoulders, then up to the column of her neck. She responded by tilting her head to the side as released a shuddering breath, “Take me to bed, Harls.”

* * *

In the few hours before dawn, Harley whimpered in pain as a montage of memories plague her dreams.

_“We shouldn’t have done this. We should not have done this.”_

_“Oh, my God. We have talked about this. We cannot do this again. We just said that we weren't gonna do it and then we did it again.”_

_“Harley, that was a huge mistake, okay? And nothing like that can ever happen again.”_

_“The truth is, I trust you with my life, but I don't trust you with my heart. So, I... I'm marrying Kite Man.”_

_“Ah, man. I love that idiot. What were you gonna tell me, Harls?”_

_“Ugh, great! I'm just glad we're on the same page. I mean, I'm getting married to Kite Man soon. You know, so I gotta focus on that.”_

The memories in Harley’s head shifted on its own until it focused on that particular argument:

_“Your friendship means the world to me but, maybe, I'm kidding myself that I can have my cake and eat it too. You know, you can't stop being you and... that fucks up what I have with Kite Man. It just does.”_

_Gordon is here to bust half your guest list. I'm trying to save your wedding!_

_“Listen how crazy you sound”_

_I’m not. Two-Face told me_

_“Okay. A literal two-faced person told you that_. _Harls, you may not even know this but you're looking for any reason to disrupt my life with Kite Man. And I just... I cannot have it”_

_So what are you saying?_

_“I mean, I'm saying... I'm saying I don't want you to be here”_

* * *

Silent pleas echoed in Ivy’s room until it stopped.

Harley bolted upright. Tears were falling from her wide-opened eyes. She turned her head to the side and gazed at her companion. Ivy has one arm pillowed under her head. She is sleeping on her side, her naked back turned towards Harley.

As quietly as she could, she got out of bed and exited the room. She didn’t even bother with clothes as she paced the living room floor, pulling her hair out in frustration.

_What if she regrets this in the morning? Is she going to freak out again and call this a mistake? I can’t go through this bullshit again! But she told me she loves me, was that a lie? Damn it!”_

Her mind swirled with thoughts, none can be categorized as happy.

Panic

Fear

Sadness

Hope

Anger – these emotions came crashing down on her.

Then, she felt it. She was on the brink of a Brain Freeze.

From somewhere in the living room, Harley heard a snap followed by a familiar voice, “Look here, dummy.”

Harley knew whose voice it belonged. She paid no attention to it and continued her frantic pacing.

“Harls, come on. Stop it. You can’t afford a breakdown right now,” coaxed Harleen. “You are on the run. There is no Dr. Psycho to pull you out of this one.”

No response.

Harleen tried a different approach, “You sure you wanna be like this when Ivy wakes up?”

The simple question caused Harley to stop and look at her. It seemed to work until she saw full-blown panic reflected in Harley’s eyes.

She caught wind of Harley’s thoughts and the conclusion she made on the supposed rhetorical question.

That is when Harleen knew she made a wrong move.

* * *

The morning rays of dawn caused Ivy to stir from sleep. She turned and blindly reached out to the opposite side of the bed. When her hand found nothing, she cracked her eyes open and saw that she was alone.

_Odd. Harley has never woken up this early before_

The sheets were cool so she knew that Harley has been up for hours. She got up from the bed and slipped on a robe as she made her way out of the room.

She found Harley on the sofa. Her head was cradled in her hands, elbows rested on top of her knees. She was staring at a certain spot on the floor, unmoving. Seeing her lost in thought, Ivy called out. “Harley?”

The figure in front of Ivy moved. She lifted her head and stood. Then, she gave her a resigned stare and responded, “Not exactly”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uhm, so Hi. I wrote nothing for 3 years then in the span of 2 weeks I wrote this monstrosity. Before you all hang my head, I'd like you to know that I am not a native English speaker but I'll always try my best. If somebody is willing to beta this work with almost 10,000 words, please pm me. Otherwirse, kindly accept this as edited with the best of my abilities.


	2. Truths and a Sacrifice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to fast-track my updates since the story is finished anyway.  
> This update is a lengthy one.

Ivy just woke up. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and decided that it was too early for Harley’s pranks. “What do you mean?”

Harley looked past her and pointed at a particular picture frame, “I am _her_ ”

Ivy looked at the picture, then back at Harley. She decided to humor her so she stared. She noticed the rigid posture and the straight gaze that seemed to say, ‘ _I am not kidding’._ The last thing that caught her attention was ironically the most obvious one, her usual pigtails were gone. It was replaced by a tight bun. Shock doesn’t even begin to describe what she’s feeling at that moment. The only thought she came up with was, _What?_

Only one person wore that certain signature hairstyle and it’s _definitely_ not Harley, “Harleen”

The blonde nodded.

Panic replaced shock. Ivy was standing there staring. _I am freaking the fuck out._

“Look, I know you are confused.” Harleen gazed at the clock on the wall. “But we don’t have much time. Get dressed. I’ll explain everything later.”

* * *

They were on the way to the dead mall. They were able to trade the pink convertible for an inconspicuous black sedan. Ivy was driving while Harleen was on her phone. She was about to send a message to the crew’s group chat when she remembered to remove Dr. Psycho from the list.

Better safe than sorry.

Group Chat:

_– Dr. Psycho has been removed from the group chat –_

_H.Kween: Guys!_

_kingshark1: OMG!!!!!_

_D’GreatestActor: The Queen hath returned!_

_H.Kween: We’re on the way to the dead mall. Where are you guys?_

_kingshark1: We? Who’s we? Cops swarmed the place last night. Had to go back home_

_H.Kween: Me and @P.Ivy_

_D’GreatestActor: I went back to Noonan’s. According to gossip, they left when they didn’t find anyone there_

_H.Kween: Did anybody get Sy?_

_kingshark1: He’s with me. The TV’s busted but I got his eyeball hooked to my laptop_

_H.Kween: Cool. Bring him with you_

_H.Kween: Meet up at south wing parking. ETA in 10 mns. Be discreet._

_DGreatestActor: Got it, boss!_

_kingshark1: *thumbs up emoji_

_– seen by everyone –_

* * *

Harleen and Ivy arrived first. They were able to scout the perimeter of the mall before the boys arrived. The mall had a Condemnation notice by the door. Yellow tape surrounded the building but no cops were on site.

The two were crouching behind a bush when a hand clasped Harleen on the shoulder. Her instincts kicked in and she did a backward handspring followed by a spinning sweep kick.

A black cop fell face-first on the bush. Ivy was about to summon a vine when they heard, “Stop! It’s us!”

Ivy and Harleen turned. They saw King Shark with his hands held up in surrender.

“Don’t ever do that!” Harley muttered as she helped Clayface up.

“In my defense…” Clayface brushed the leaves off his uniform, “you told me to be discreet.”

Harleen looked back at the mall then back at Clayface, “I did. Since you’re already in disguise, go check if there are cops inside.”

By some sort of luck, there were no cops inside the mall. After packing their respective things, they gathered at the fountain.

Harleen looked at the man shark. “King, please hook up Sy. I need to talk to him.”

Moments later, Sy appeared on King Shark’s laptop. “Heya, H-bomb!”

“Sy! I need your help. Do you have any place where Ivy and I can bunker down for a while?”

“Yeah, I have a few but they’re all out of the country.”

The response stunned Harleen. It was already difficult to get out of Gotham, let alone the country.

“Those are pretty useless unless we find a way to fly out of here safely.”

“I think I can pull a few strings from old buddies,” assured Sy. “Don’t worry, H-bomb I got you covered. Give me a few minutes.”

While Sy busied himself on his task, an idea popped on Harleen’s mind. “Hey, King Shark. Can you find a way for me to contact Sy securely? Maybe turn him into a cellphone or something.”

“I can certainly do that but it will take a while. I think I can make an encrypted platform where you can log in and talk to him.”

“That’s better. Thanks.”

While the three busied themselves on their thing, Ivy turned to Clayface, “Hey can I ask you for a favor?”

“How can I be of service?”

“I totally forgot about Frank on our way out of the factory. Could you pick him up and look after my plants?”

“It would be my pleasure, Ivy.”

* * *

A good few hours before noon, the crew found themselves inside a private airport.

Clayface put a hand on his chest and bid his goodbye, “Au revoir, my friends and safe journey”

King Shark chimed, “Be back soon, you guys! And don’t forget our souvenirs”

“See ya soon, lovebirds! You know how to reach me,” Sy hollered from King Shark’s laptop.

Harleen hugged King Shark and Clayface. Since she can’t hug Sy, she blew him a kiss. “Thank you so much, guys. I’ll see you in a while.”

“Yeah, we’ll keep in touch.” Ivy said.

* * *

They rented an apartment in Casco Viejo. Getting a place wasn’t tedious but the language barrier with the locals proved difficult. The locals in Panama mostly speak in Spanish but due to the rise of tourists in the area, they learned to adapt. They settled on a rustic building overlooking Panama Bay.

Ivy found Harleen on the balcony. She wore a red off-shoulder crop top and denim shorts. Her feet were clad in her usual sneakers. She opted for a loose pony-tail instead of her usual bun. She sat there gazing at the slowly setting sun, a clipboard held in her left hand.

 _I don’t know how she got a clipboard, but this feels oddly familiar,_ Ivy quietly mused as she approached the blonde.

She took a seat beside her and tapped her unoccupied hand. “What’s that for?”

Harleen caught Ivy’s hand and laced it with hers. “Just a little ‘To-do’ list for Harley when she comes back.”

Ivy smiled at the contact. Her previous comment to Harley made sense as she recalled the memory,

_“I have never seen you with a clipboard. I mean, I'm... I'm like impressed with it, but it's also kinda freaking me out.”_

Harleen always carried a clipboard, but never Harley.

 _Until the Bach Party,_ Ivy thought.

She took a glance at the list. Ivy can make sense on the rest of the items but not the first one.

  * I.C = I
  * Villainy?
  * Lair + Crew?
  * Gotham?



“What’s the first one?”

Harleen’s gaze went to the list. A torn look crossed her features. “It could be an entire list on its own. It applies to me but more so for Harley.”

“Is this related to what happened this morning? By the way, you owe me an explanation.”

Harleen placed the clipboard on the coffee table and adjusted her position to fully face Ivy. She took a deep breath before beginning her explanation. “Harley woke up from a nightmare last night. She accidentally recalled some painful memories.”

Ivy frowned at the statement but didn’t say anything.

Harleen took it as her cue to continue, “Those were from the past few months. She remembered the talk after your first kiss, the Darkseid stint, and that certain discussion that you had at your wedding. She felt all kinds of negative emotions at once. When I appeared as a hallucination, she was already on the verge of a Level 4 Brain Freeze. I tried to stop it but I made a costly mistake.”

The frown turned into a look of confusion. But Ivy gestured for her to proceed.

Harleen picked up where she left off, “She was afraid that you’ll wake up and regret the night before. She’s been burned one too many times, Pam. The nightmare exacerbated her fears.”

The psychiatrist stopped when she saw tears form in Ivy’s eyes. The hand entangled with hers felt cooler than usual.

She heard Ivy’s voice break. “It’s my fault. I hurt her. I hurt too many people because of my denial.”

Ivy bowed her head and closed her eyes. Harleen disentangled their hands. She cupped Ivy’s chin, tilting her head up. Her other hand wiped the tear stain on her cheek.

“It’s not entirely your fault. She was just on the verge when I found her.” She removed her hands from Ivy’s face and clasped it together. She looked away as she continued, “As I said, I’m the one who made a mistake. I set her off when I asked her, ‘ _You sure you wanna be like this when Ivy wakes up?’_ with Harley taking things to the extreme plus my misuse of logic at that moment, it just happened.”

Ivy sniffled then paused. The revelation didn’t make her feel any better because the heft of the guilt remained the same.

After a few minutes, a thought came to her, “If she had a Brain Freeze, then how are you here?” she looked at Harleen and added, “Is this some kind of Jekyll and Hyde schtick?”

Harleen looked at the waters before shaking her head. “No, Pam. There is no definite point where Harley ends and Harleen begins. She just stands on a different point of the same spectrum. You could say that I’m only the personification of her ‘sanest’ self.”

“But how – ”

“When Harley made a break for the Museum of Memories I decided to make a switch than leave her in a catatonic state.” She looked at her apologetically, “I had to”

The logic made Ivy’s brain hurt. Ivy is a genius but her Ph.D in Biochemistry didn’t help her at the moment. This was something out of her depth.

Harleen stood and left her seat. She leaned at the balcony railing while Ivy remained seated.

“I’m so confused,” Ivy lamented. “I don’t think I totally understood what you just said.”

“Believe me, I get it.” She turned around facing Ivy. “I mean, look at _me._ It’s been years since I saw the literal light of day. Now, I am here with this body and a different psyche. It’s like when I fell into the vat a different person came out.”

“It’s Harley.”

“Yeah”

“Not that I don’t like you. But I want to know what I’m dealing with. And if she is coming back”

“She will”

“What makes you so sure? When? How?”

Harleen visibly exhaled. She didn’t have all the answers to Ivy’s questions but she knows one thing though, “Look Pam, I don’t know the ‘when’ and I’m still figuring out the ‘how’. All I’m sure is, she will. I’m an echo of her past life. If anything, being normal is the last thing that Harley wants. Thus, I am not here to stay.”

“I just want to talk to her and apologize.” Pamela bargained. “I mean, I already did but I’m willing to do it again if it will get her to come back.”

“She has forgiven you since the escape from the factory. You need to give it time.” Harleen smiled sadly at her, _“_ She’s hurt but she’ll come around, she always does. _”_

The last statement hurt Ivy like a slap in the face. Those were the exact words that Harley told her yesterday, except those were in regards to Kiteman. The irony of the fact wasn’t lost in Ivy. She may have been forgiven by Harley and possibly Chuck, but the bitter truth remains:

In the pursuit of keeping her heart safe, she hurt a lot of people in the process. Important people. She didn’t only hurt them, she took their forgiving nature for granted. One of them may or may not have her back in his life and the other vanished in the aftermath. Different forms coming from the same vein, she was somehow, cast out.

Ivy was in dry land but somehow, she felt like drowning. She can’t breathe. It felt like the ground is constantly shifting beneath her feet. Tears were streaming down her face but she didn’t care. She stood abruptly and turned on her heel with every intent on walking away from it all.

She felt a firm hand grab hers, “Stop it, Pam. Get out of your head. Guilt-tripping yourself to oblivion won’t help solve this.”

 _How did she know?_ Ivy thought to herself, _Damn psychiatrist._

The thing is, Harleen didn’t. She didn’t need a psychology degree to know what a guilt-ridden person looks like. But there is a far more pressing issue that needs to be discussed.

Harleen tugged her hand urging Ivy to face her. Pamela turned around. She was greeted by a warm embrace and found herself clutching onto the doctor like her life depended on her. She felt the comfort given but that didn’t stop her from sobbing.

Harleen smoothed her hair. She continued the motion until Ivy’s sob turned into a quiet whimper. “Hey, if it makes you feel any better, I am proud of you.”

A bitter laugh escaped from Pamela. “Proud? You’re proud of me for being shitty to people? Don’t patronize me.” She disentangled herself from Harleen.

Her words dripped with sarcasm but Harleen found no offense in it.

“I won’t deny what you’ve done but it is clear to me that you’ve grown. You’ve changed for the better.”

Ivy walked to the railing and leaned back. She faced Harleen with her arms crossed. “For the better? How the fuck is this for the better?”

Harleen knows she can’t fight fire with fire. Despite the bitchy façade, a very hurt Pamela Isley hides.

_I’ll just present you with facts that you can’t deny_ – Harleen decided to herself.

She held up her fist and started counting off her points. “Simple. You went from classic bitter, misanthrope to supportive, understanding, caring, and funny person” – her pinky finger extended.

Ivy blinked but continued listening.

“You went from exclusively caring for plant limbs to _some_ human limbs”– ring finger followed –“You were able to sustain a relationship for two years”– middle finger unfurled – “You have friends now, as in plural” – index finger straightened.

Before she mentioned the last one, a smirk formed on Harleen’s lips, she knew that she’ll hit the nail right in the head with this one. “Above all, there is this one exception you’ll kill plants for. It happened to be a human being” – her thumb followed the rest.

A slow smile appeared on Pamela’s lips. If it weren’t for the moon overhead, Harleen would have missed the faint darkening of her cheeks.

Harleen crossed the small distance between them and stood in front of Ivy. “Look, I know that there are a lot of things that you could have done differently. But I think this could be the chance to do things right, moving forward.”

Ivy only responded with a raised brow.

Harleen smiled. “You told Harley that you weren’t able to reflect on your feelings because you were managing everyone else’s. You have that opportunity now.”

“But I know already know what I want.”

“Do you?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I’m asking you to reevaluate your feelings before this…” She gestured on the space between them. “Goes any further, I _need_ you to reevaluate. I can’t stop Harley but I may be able to convince you out of this.”

“I thought…” Instead of finishing the sentence, she opted for a question. “So you don’t feel the same way as Harley?”

Harleen didn’t see this coming but somehow expected it. She slowly blinked twice as she tried to comprehend the implication of the question. She tried to find the right words but found that she wasn’t able to. Ivy’s stern gaze seemed to pierce through her skull.

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but as far as I can remember, we haven’t had the ‘what are we?’ talk. Forgive me if I’m operating under that particular assumption.”

“I thought it was _implied._ ” Ivy acknowledged that Harleen made a point but it rubbed her the wrong way regardless.

“As I said, Harley and I are the same. We share the same memories, the same”–she chuckled, shaking her head–“ _feelings._ It just so happens that we aren’t on the same page. Our thoughts operate similarly but not exactly the same. Same person, different points, remember?”

Harleen could see the _Oh_ form in Ivy’s lips.

“Look, you are _so_ together in Harley’s mind, barring marriage. As for me,” she frustratedly ran a hand down her face, “I’m still wrapping my head around it. The feeling is clearly mutual but I have lived inside Harley’s mind - mostly in the backseat, for years now. I didn’t expect that I’d be in this situation.”

Understanding dawned on Ivy’s features. Her shoulders loosened a bit but a small bit of tension there. “It looks to me that you should be the one reflecting. Aren’t you supposed to be on Harley’s side?”

“I _am_ on her side. Yours too.”

Ivy looked away from her, disbelief is evident on her face.

“Pam, you may not believe it but I am looking out for _you_ and Harley _._ I want you to give you a head’s up.” Harleen tried, “I need you to _understand_ what you’re signing up for.”

“I know Harley. She is crazy, messy, and chaotic. But she is growing and I can see that now.” Ivy started walking back inside the room.

Harleen followed her, “That is the thing Pam, Harley –no, we... had been unwell for many years now. Ironically, I am a psychiatrist as well as a basket case.” She stopped at the foot of the bed.

That caught Ivy’s attention. She stopped walking and turned back to look at Harleen. She found blue eyes expecting hers.

“There might be no official diagnosis, but for what my medical license was worth, we are a myriad of disorders. That is the spectrum Harley and I are standing on I _am_ crazy, messy and chaotic for a reason.”

After taking in the nugget of information Pamela could only shake her head, “So, you’re saying that we shouldn’t date because of that?” She walked back towards Harleen and placed her hands on the doctor’s hips. “The irony doesn’t exclusively apply to you. It applies to me as well.”

“Pam, there is an exhaustive list of why we shouldn’t date. This is just the tip of the iceberg. This out I’m giving you isn’t only for you. It’s also for _Harley._ ”

Ivy visibly stiffened at the last statement. She had a feeling that whatever Harleen’s going to tell her next won’t be something she’ll want to hear. So, she only stood there and gazed at the person in her arms.

The lack of verbal response urged Harleen to proceed, “You won’t be just dating _me._ Most of the time, it will be Harley. And Harley? She won’t be patient, stable, secure nor _safe,_ unlike Chuck. She _will_ make a bunch of messes that _you_ will get dragged on to. The both of you will be hurt.” She released herself from Pamela’s grasp and looked away. “But I need someone who will be with Harley and not call it a mistake or an impetuous fling. Harley will always put her heart out in the line for you and you may be the closest thing to a good kind of love, but I don’t want Harley to burn herself to the ground trying.”

Tears were leaking out Ivy’s face again. She tried to form words but she could only feel the knot on her throat was burning.

“Harley won’t be able to deal with another rejection, Pam. She’s hurt and has every right to be. I need you to think about this long and hard so I can prepare Harley, just in case…” Harleen channeled every ounce of her will to deliver the last touch on her monologue. “Friendship is an option, Pam. Because as much as this stings, she deserves the best too.”

As far as blows go, this one knocked the wind out of Ivy. She felt the world spin and she collapsed on herself, sobbing. Harleen knew that comforting Ivy would just come across as an insincere gesture of placating her. So, she showed herself out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The inspiration of this entire story came from a dialogue in 1x10:
> 
> Harleen: I'm here to help you. Look, you messed up a bunch of important relationships, but there's still someone who is always going to love you unconditionally. Someone who always manages to comfort you.
> 
> Harley: She's not even responding to my texts. Ivy's definitely not gonna wanna see me.
> 
> Harleen: I wasn't talking about Ivy.
> 
> While Harleen's response could be easily dismissed as Harley not figuring out the answer Harleen thought of, I saw it as the two of them being not in the same page when it comes to their feelings towards Ivy.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy this update. We'll see Harley on the next one. :)


	3. Groundwork and a Caper

The sun was already high up when Ivy woke up. Her eyes were puffy and her throat felt scratchy. Harleen never went back to their room last night so she assumed that she got herself a different room. She turned and took her phone from the nightstand. There were 2 messages from Harleen.

_Harls: Hi, you up yet?_

_Harls: You need to eat._

The timestamp read 9:52 and the last one was at 11:48. It was already 12:25. She typed out a quick reply,

_JWU. Might go out after lunch_

2 seconds after sending the message, she could already see 3 dots forming. She didn’t have to wait long for a reply.

_Harls: Can I come with?_

As much as Ivy wanted to, she didn’t feel like it. She wanted some time for herself and be with her thoughts. Because as much as it hurts, Harleen was right. She needed to reevaluate.

_I’d like to be alone for a while_

She saw the three dots again, then it disappeared. She was about to put her phone down when it pinged.

_Harls: I’m sorry about last night. Just shoot me a text if you need anything._

She didn’t reply after that.

* * *

Harleen watched Ivy from a distance.

Lunch went as a passing affair. Soon after, Ivy went to the shore and found some unoccupied beach chairs. She sat on one of them and gazed at her surroundings, jagged rocks could be seen at her far-right along with some tourists snapping pics for Insta. To her left were a few booths selling food and souvenirs. Finally, she saw tiny boats that were dotted across the bay. The view was majestic – really. But Ivy couldn’t give a flying fuck because her mind wandered elsewhere.

Distraught was written on Ivy’s face and Harleen was well aware that she’s the one to blame for it.

A certain someone called her out for that. _“_ That was harsh, even for you. _”_

“But that’s the truth, Harls. Reality _is_ painful.” Harleen faced the hallucination with a challenging stare. “That’s why you ran, right?”

“Yeah, but you do know that I’m the one to blame for her abandonment issues, right?”

“Harls, this isn’t about blaming you or her for whatever issues you have, It’s–”

“Yeah, yeah, I got the point.” Harley offered her an apologetic smile. “I saw ya guys Live n’ all.”

Harleen sighed. Things proved more difficult than she anticipated. “Wanna switch?”

“Not yet. Just until she figures her shit out.” Harley turned to look at Ivy, then back at Harleen. “You should too.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You’re smart, doc.” Harley gave her a shit-eating grin. “You’ll figure it out.”

“I can’t stay here forever.”

“I’m working on that. BT dubs thanks for stayin’. For this body’s sake and hers.”

Harleen’s eyebrow rose at the initial statement but ignored it regardless.

“Take care of her, sane me.” Harley took one last look at Ivy. “See ya, soon.”

With that, Harley faded away.

Harleen was about to head back to her room when she felt her phone vibrate. A message from King Shark just came in.

_King Shark: Hey girl! Go check your e-mail. I sent you the app that I’ve been working on. PW is there too_

Harleen typed out a reply. It read, _Thanks, King!_

A downloaded app and a few minutes later, a war veteran appeared on her screen.

“Hey, Sy” Harleen smiled sadly.

The old man took notice of her expression. “Ohohoh hon, trouble in paradise?”

“What do you regret about your love life?”

“Remember Golda?”

Harleen searched for her memories. She came up with a blank look on her face.

Sy took pity on her. “She’s my gal who helped me bring your bodies to the pizza oven!”

“Oh, that one! What about her?”

“Sometimes, I think about her and the life we could have had. So yeah, a lotta regrets on that one.” He gave her a nonchalant shrug. “Ya having cold feet?”

“You could say that.”

“Eh, what was that acronym that youngsters say these days?” Sy scratched his bald head with a mechanical hand. “YALO? YODA?”

“YOLO Sy, it means you only leave once”

“Whatever. Ya get my point. Life’s about feeding the–“

“soul. Yeah, yeah.” Harleen interjected with a roll of her eyes. “I got it.”

Sy leaned forward. “Look H-bomb, relationships aren’t all sunshine n’ rainbows. But walking away from the chance of a good kind of love? That could easily be the biggest regret you’ll ever make.”

That caught Harleen gaping like a fish. Then, a genuine smile appeared on her face. “Thanks Sy, you’re still the sweetest Landlord.”

“I know”

A thought popped to her head. She remembered the reason for her call. “By the way, I need you to do some looking.”

“Hit me, hon!”

Harleen was about to respond when she got a video call request from King Shark. “I got to go Sy. But I’ll message you the details here, okay?”

“Gotcha”

Harleen connected King Shark’s call which automatically prompted Sy’s app to log out. “Hey King, what’s up?”

A panic-stricken man-shark appeared. “Harley! Have you seen this?”

“I’m not seeing anything besides you.”

“Oh, let me flip my camera.”

King Shark flipped the camera and pointed it to a website that seemed to auction plants.

Harley scanned the website. “I don’t get what’s wrong with it.”

“That’s the black market!” The man-shark’s voice rose an octave higher. “Those pretty flowers are on the brink of extinction and shouldn’t be up for sale.”

“So, someone is smuggling them.”

“Exactly! Their base of operation is near you.”

A determined expression crossed Harleen’s face. “Send me the deets, King. We’ll take a look.”

“Go get them, girl!”

Harleen ended the call. When she looked up ahead, she saw that Ivy wasn’t lost in a trance-like state anymore. Her knees were pulled to her chest, arms wrapped around her legs. Her head was atop her knees and her face appeared pensive.

 _Now or never,_ Harleen thought.

* * *

For most of her life, Pamela Isley kept a journal. That was the one thing that remained constant even after her transformation as Poison Ivy. Little did she know that her journal would also take another form and that form happened to be Dr. Harleen Quinzel.

Later on, Dr. Quinzel herself transformed. She became Harley Quinn and even after that, she remained as Pamela’s constant companion.

Until the day she sat at the shore of Panama Bay, lost and alone with her thoughts as her only company.

_I didn’t realize the extent of the damage that I caused._

_For all the fucked-up BS that I called Harley on, I lost track of my own. She grew and became a better person while I furthered myself in denial. I expected so much from her that I realized that she didn’t ask anything from me, except for a chance – one that she rightfully deserved but I didn’t give. For all the growth that I made, mine pales in comparison to what Harley did._

_I was dead-set on denying the truth from them that I ended up lying to myself too. I made myself believe that if I could learn to love the life that Kiteman is offering, I could keep my heart safe and have Harley too._

_My cowardice led to inadvertent selfishness that hurt a lot of people. I was stacking up mistake after mistake and worst, I stuck with it ‘til the very end. They were gracious enough to offer me an out every step of the way, but did I take it? – No. I strung them along and now I lost them both. I don’t deserve either of them, especially Harley._

_God damn it!_

A lone tear escaped her eye. That was enough to break her train of thought. She wiped it away with the back of her hand and rearranged herself in the chair. She picked a spot on the horizon and stared.

* * *

Despite the pensive face, Pamela is still the most beautiful thing that Harleen has ever seen. She easily beat the scenery in front of her. Red hair flowing freely in the wind, sculptured back on display, and a unique complexion which reminded her that Poison Ivy is Human Nature incarnate. The proverbial butterflies were definitely fluttering in her stomach. However, it wasn’t enough to quell the uneasiness that she felt, especially when she’s the one who put the scowl on that beautiful face.

 _When in doubt, start with a joke_. Harleen remembered as she approached Ivy.

She stopped a meter from her right. “If you continue brooding like that, you’d give Batman or Jon Snow a run for his money.”

Pamela whipped her head at the quip.

Harleen gave her a small wave then gestured at the spot beside Ivy. “May I?”

“Please”

The doctor sat beside her. It was close enough for their shoulders to touch.

Harleen turned to look at her. "I’m sorry about yesterday.”

“Why would you be? Everything was true.”

“But I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

Ivy closed her eyes. When she opened them again, resignation took over her posture. “I hurt Harley more.”

“This isn’t about evening the score, you know.”

“I know. But you’re still right. I don’t deserve Harley or _you._ ”

The blonde took Pamela’s hand and entwined it with hers. Her piercing blue eyes stared at Ivy’s green ones. “That’s not what I meant.”

“But it doesn’t change the fact that despite numerous bullshit that I pulled, Harley stuck with me and what did I do?” Ivy’s voice lowered with the admission. “I broke her heart so many times.”

“So did she.”

“What?”

Harleen shook her head. “Pammy, I’m not going to fault you for having huge abandonment issues, in the same way, I’m not going to blame Harley for being unwell.”

Ivy accepted it but said nothing.

Harleen continued, “Look, I only meant to be transparent about those issues. Because the last thing I want is to watch the two of you become emotional train wrecks.”

“What do _you_ want?”

“I don’t get a say in this”

“Of course, you do. You’re the same person.”

Harleen looked at their entwined hands. She sensed where the conversation is heading so she chose to deflect. “What I want doesn’t matter. Harley is gonna live this life. Not me.”

“So, there _is_ something.”

“How about you? What do you want?”

“What I want isn’t what you or Harley needs.”

“I think you’re wrong about that.”

“Which part?”

The psychiatrist looked up seemingly asking for divine intervention. When nothing happened, she exhaled. “I’m gonna use the royal I from here on, while I may be holding off on the idea of a romantic relationship, that doesn’t mean that I don’t need love.”

“But you don’t want one from me.”

“That’s not what I am saying.” Harleen paused, she sucked in a steadying breath. “I’ve never had that kind of good love. Not from Joker, not from my family. And me? I’ve got a lot of love to give.”

“So where do we go from here?”

“I don’t know. What I’m sure of is, I don’t want you out of my life.”

Pamela waited for elaboration but it never came. She smiled sadly. “Me too. It just sucks that I’m not needed.”

“We need each other more than you know.”

“How?”

“You curb Harley’s worst impulses and…” Harleen smiled smugly, “she grounds you to your humanity.”

“It isn’t entirely Harley. You started that.”

Harleen figured out that she wasn’t ready for this discussion. She untangled their hands and stood up. “We’re not doing this vacation justice.”

Ivy knew that their discussion isn’t going anywhere. She nodded in sullen acquiescence.

The blonde turn around and held out her hand. “Want to do something fun?”

“What kind of fun?”

* * *

Pulling a caper with Harleen Quinzel felt strangely different from Harley Quinn. For starters, discretion was never really the latter’s MO. It was mostly filled with grand entrances and bat smashing properties. The change of pace is unfamiliar but not unwelcomed.

“How do they not find these lairs?” Harleen muttered.

“It’s in the middle of the rainforest, that’s why”

They stood on the highest branch of a Strangler Fig quietly observing the pastel-colored barracks below. A black pickup truck pulled over in the driveway. On the cargo bed of the truck were various kinds of endangered orchids. Five men emerged from the vehicle. The first three went to the back of the truck to unload the flowers while the other two went inside the barracks.

Harleen looked at Ivy. She gave a single nod and pulled out her bat. Ivy lowered them using her vines.

Ever impatient, Harleen sprung to action first. She took advantage of her descent and did an Arabian double front. The force of her weight slammed onto the first guy’s head knocking him out. She turned to the second guy and made a forward sault followed by a twist of her bat mid-air. The impact crushed the man’s neck causing him to crumple into a heap.

Pamela watched in fascination as she took her time getting down.

_Quiet_

_Controlled_

_Steady_ – a silent reminder that Harleen Quinzel was just as _deadly_ as Harley Quinn.

_I don’t know if I should be impressed or freaking out,_ Ivy quietly mused.

The third guy made a break for the barracks. Harleen used the truck’s flatbed as her springboard and did a moon somersault. The vault landed her on the third man’s back. She smacked the bat’s knob on his skull.

By the time Ivy landed on the ground, Harleen had taken out three burly men in quick succession.

The gymnast’s back faced her. Ivy watched as Harleen stood and turned her head to the side catching Pamela in her peripheral vision.

The metahuman caught the dangerous glint in her eyes and the devilish smirk on her lips. At that very moment, Ivy’s asshole puckered out of fear and arousal.

“You coming or what?” Harleen called out to her.

Ivy shook herself out from her short-lived stupor and followed Harleen to the barracks.

The barracks had three rooms and a storage. On the farthest room to their left, they heard men in the middle of a discussion. From the sound of it, there were at least 4 people inside.

Ivy pulled out the gas masks and a handful of metal pellets. She passed one of the masks to Harleen. After wearing their protective gear, Ivy slipped the pellets under the door. They waited for a full minute as modified anesthetic gas filled the room.

When they opened the door, they found 6 armed men slumped on the table. The leader of the poaching operation was on the far end. On his right was his primary smuggler. The rest were his underlings.

“Bingo” Ivy said smugly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're nearing the end. I'd like to thank everyone who is supporting this fic.  
> I know that they are a couple by the end of the series. But seriously, they should really talk like functioning adults.


	4. Bringing the Cheshire Cat Home

They initially planned to intimidate the poachers and leave them alone. However, they weren’t being cooperative so they turned to fertilizers. After returning the plants to the wild, the two agreed that they were very much due for a celebration.

With Murder ticked off from their list, the next item on Ivy’s dream vacation was Partying. The two found themselves on a rooftop bar that had hundreds of choices on the menu. Lights and electronic music filled the air.

Harleen tossed a minxy grin in Pamela’s direction. “I’m fucking sure that I’m gonna be so wasted, I’ll end up crawling to my bed.”

Pamela scoffed but amusement twinkled in her eyes. “Come on.”

A pale green hand grabbed Harleen’s wrist leading her to the bar with a couple of vacant stools. There were too many options so they settled for a classic: Tequila.

One long line of shots later a memory popped into Harleen’s mind. “Remember that time when Riddler dropped me in margarita mix?”

“Oh yeah,” Ivy snickered as she reminisced about the memory. “Fun times.”

“You know what’s fun?” Harleen cocked her head to the makeshift dancefloor.

When Pamela looked at the said direction, she smiled and hooked her arms to hers.

The music changed when they reached the dancefloor. With liquid courage thrumming through her body, Pamela asked her partner for a dance. “May I?”

Before Harleen could answer, the evening breeze blew past her causing her shoulders to shudder. Suddenly, a dark green jacket was draped on her shoulders. Pamela secured it on her before pulling the front, nudging Harleen forward. Harleen obliged and she found herself wrapped in a hug. The inebriated doctor put her arms around the botanist's neck and let her forehead rest on Pamela’s. She closed her eyes and heard, “Better?”

Harleen smiled. “Much”

They found themselves gently swaying under the moonlight. Pamela hummed a small tune and Harleen quietly listened.

Then, the swaying stopped and the humming was replaced with Pamela capturing Harleen’s lips.

Unlike their previous adrenaline-filled kisses, this particular kiss was slow, sweet, and gentle. Their lives weren’t on the line, there were no police behind their backs, and they weren’t running away from anyone. It’s just the two of them under a picturesque night.

A pair of lips began their exploration. Pamela trailed kisses along the line of Harleen’s jaw, the shell of her ear, and the column of her neck. Harleen felt the redhead’s kisses getting hungrier in each passing second. The blonde fisted a hand on fiery red tresses and whispered on Pamela’s adjacent ear, “Want to take this somewhere else?”

Pamela paused her fleshly ministrations and looked up. The same desire that she felt was reflected in bright blue eyes. She kissed her hard and answered, “Definitely”

* * *

Harleen felt warm. It wasn’t just because of the sunlight hitting her eyelids. Her back was pressed on something soft and there was a constant gush of air hitting her nape. She opened her eyes and found out that her back wasn’t resting on ‘something’. It was _someone._ The gush of air was someone’s soft exhales.

Her back was pressed on Pamela’s front and a right green arm encircled her waist. Her blonde locks were pillowed by Ivy’s other arm that somehow encircled Harleen’s shoulders. She didn’t need to look below the sheets to know that she has no clothes on.

_Oh shit_

With Pamela wrapped around her, she had a near-zero chance of escaping without waking the redhead.

She was lost on her thoughts when she felt kisses grace her nape. Harleen gently extricated herself from Pamela’s arms and got out of bed. She started looking for her clothes when she heard her sit up.

Pamela leaned her back on the headboard and turned to look at her. “So, now what? we’re just fuck buddies now?”

Harleen pivoted on her heel facing her. Lost blue eyes stared at green despondent ones. “That wasn’t my intention.”

“Then what?”

“I don’t know. All I know is that I’m disappointed in myself.”

“Why?”

Harleen sighed. She ran a hand over her hair in frustration. “Because this is just a reminder that I’m the same person who left my career as a psychiatrist, jumped in that vat of chemicals, and got me nearly killed so many times.”

“Did you just compare me to the Joker?”

“That’s not the point!” She went back to the bed caught Pamela’s chin. “The point is, I’m _falling_ , Pam. And I can’t have that because one day my world will revolve around you and I might find myself one day, fusing plant DNA on my body or burning Gotham at your behest.” She released her and closed her eyes. “I don’t want that consuming love again. Especially when I’m always the second fiddle to that person.” She smiled sadly at her and turned to leave.

Pamela’s hand caught her wrist. “That’s not true.”

Harleen forcefully yanked her hand free. With a wounded look, she glared at Ivy. “Admit it Pam, if it weren’t for Gordo or Chuck, you would have been married by now, kiting around on your honeymoon. Your fear is bigger than your love for me. You didn’t outgrow it, you were called out from it.” She could feel tears slowly forming in her eyes. “I deserve more than to be your second choice.”

While it was technically Harley who was at the receiving end on all of those truths, that doesn’t mean the emotions were lost on her. Whether she is Harleen or Harley, she’s still the same person who had the same dream: To love someone and be loved in return. To be someone’s choice. To belong to someone and call that someone _hers._

Harleen wiped the stray tears with the back of her hand. She turned and tried for the door. Clothes be damned.

Pamela leaped out of bed to stop her from leaving. She reached an arm out and clasped it on a pale shoulder.

If it weren’t for the silence of the room, Harleen would have missed her plea. “Wait”

Harleen stopped. She felt a hand grab hers nudging her to turn around. She obliged.

Pamela pulled her close and cradled her face. She wiped the tear tracks from her lover’s face and spoke, “I’m sorry. I’m sorry for a lot of things. I’m sorry for being a coward, for being selfish and just being a plain idiot. I called you out for running when I was the one who did that.” She shook her head and continued, “You’re not a consolation prize. Chuck was. It was wrong for me to do that and drag him along. I fooled myself into believing that I could fit inside a mold that wasn’t _me._ I didn’t want the simple, suburban life that he was offering.”

Harleen released a disbelieving snort and looked away from Pamela. Suddenly, her chin got caught in-between an index finger and a thumb forcing her to look back at her. She saw determination burn in emerald green eyes.

“I want the wild, unpredictable – complex life. And you? You happen to live it and flourish from it. I know there are a million reasons why we shouldn’t be together but I couldn’t give a flying fuck about it. I know that I’ll commit a bigger mistake by not trying. I’m done running. I want to grow with you, Harls. And I hope your offer is still up because this is me taking my leap of faith.”

Harleen gave her a long hard look. Her eyes seemed to be reaching for the very depths of her soul. Ivy nearly swallowed in anticipation for an answer.

Suddenly, the blonde leaped catching her lips for a heated kiss. There wasn’t an ounce of gentleness in it. The kiss was wild and claiming.

Pamela lifted her and Harleen locked her legs around her waist. The redhead turned on her heels and blindly walked back to the bed clutching her precious cargo. When her knees hit the edge of the bed, she gently deposited the blonde. She laid on top of her, arms bracing the sides of Harleen’s face.

The blonde reached up, tucking a stray red lock behind her ear. “That’s my girl.”

“Girlfriend, I hope.”

“Yep, you’ve just been promoted.”

“That’s good because I love you” Ivy smiled at her. “ _All of you.”_

“Take care of me.”

“I always do.”

* * *

(Somewhere in the Museum of Memories)

A blonde gymnast sat on a bench. There is a devilish grin adorning her face. She watched as a giant picture frame slowly decorate a previously-blank wall. Under the frame, a plaque read “True Love”

She turned her head to the side and addressed a blonde psychiatrist in a lab coat. “Someone got laid twice.”

The psychiatrist rolled her eyes and pointed at the frame. “You’ll be getting laid with that one for the rest of your life. Cut me some slack.”

Harley laughed as she got up and approached the blonde doctor. “I’m happy that you got your shit figured out.”

“I’m happy too, Harley. Truth to be told, I don’t want to switch back.”

Harley could see the sadness in her eyes. She took the doctor’s hand and looked her in the eye. “You don’t have to”

Confusion was evident on the doctor’s face. She raised her eyebrow in silent question.

“Ya think I was snoopin’ around here for nothing? We don’t hafta be standing on 2 different points of the same spectrum when we’re the same person.”

Harleen just gave her a blank stare. Whatever whacky shenanigan Harley was trying to pull was lost on her.

“Don’t worry Doc, I got this figured out. Ya ain’t stayin’ in the back seat no more!” Harley pressed her forehead on Harleen’s “Trust me on this one.”

* * *

The lovebirds laid quietly in the dark facing each other. When Ivy woke up, she found a pair of blue eyes looking at her. “Heya, Ive”

 _Ive? Not Pam?_ Ivy thought to herself. Realization hit her and her eyes widened, “Harley?”

Harley flashed her a goofy grin. She kissed Ivy forcing the redhead on her back as she draped herself on top of her. “Hi, pretty girl.”

“But how–” Ivy was silenced by a pale finger on her lips.

The blonde laid her head on Ivy’s chest as she recounted her multiple run-ins with Harleen. Pamela lightly scratched the back of the blonde’s head as she listened to the story.

Soon after, a question passed on the redhead’s lips. “If you’ve been here all along, then why didn’t you just make a switch?”

Harley smirked. “I was waiting for something.”

“My cheesy confession?”

“That was just a bonus. I was waiting for you guys to figure your shit out.”

“Harls, wasn’t that supposed to be _just me?”_

Harley got up. She sat cross-legged in front of her, unabashed about her nakedness. “Remember how she told you that she’s the personification of my sanest self?”

“Yeah”

“I’m the complimentary one. I’m like..” Harley paused, trying to find the right term. “The personification of desire.”

“Like id and superego?”

The former psychiatrist gave her a teasing smile. “Someone did her homework.”

“I _had_ to”

“Sorry ‘bout that”

Harley offered her an apologetic smile. She then straddled Ivy’s lap before starting her explanation. “Anyway, I’m _me_ so I figured out my feelings a long time ago. But she’s different…” She paused, her eyes flitting back and forth. Ivy steadied her by putting her hands on the blonde’s hips. “She’s _sane_ me. She needed time to come to terms with her feelings. I just gave her the extra nudge ‘cos we had to meet in the middle, ya know?”

Ivy looked at her blue eyes. The redhead was piecing together information like a jigsaw puzzle. Then it clicked. “I kind of get it like, you have the capacity to think seriously just as how she can be a _handful_ sometimes.”

“Yup. But at this point, I don’t think I’m just exclusively Harley or Harleen.”

“Meaning?”

Harley gave her a noncommittal shrug “I’m _me._ ” She dipped her head capturing Ivy’s lips. “Also, I love you too _”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is!
> 
> I nearly ended the fic here but I decided to write an epilogue of sorts for Chapter 5.
> 
> Unsolicited 2 cents: I know that Kiteman needed character development but it came at the cost of Ivy's.  
> I wrote this story not to hate the ending but to point out that it felt unsatisfying for me because she didn't outgrow her fears until Chuck gracefully backed out. 
> 
> That's also the reason why I chose to write a post season 2 fic instead of rewriting 2x07 onward. 
> 
> Thanks for reading this story. Hopefully, season 3 gets renewed.


	5. Growth and a Clipboard

They were 2 weeks into their vacation when Harley found a familiar-looking clipboard on the coffee table. She took it inside and examined it.

Ivy found her laying on the couch while her feet dangled on the armrest. The redhead walked towards her and gently lifted the blonde’s head. She slipped herself in and let her lap be used as a pillow. Harley was staring intensely at the list that had her penmanship on it. Ivy busied herself by carding her fingers through the blonde locks which were currently free from their usual pigtails.

Harley discarded the clipboard on her stomach. “Damn.. sane me is a genius. But we’re one now, so it’s me. I’m a genius.”

Ivy tapped Harley’s temple. “You _are_ , Harls.”

“You’re just telling me that ‘coz we’re together now.”

“I’m not.”

“Just kidding, Pammy”

Ivy glanced at the clipboard then back at Harley. “I never got the meaning of the first one on your list.”

“Uh, it’s Identity Crisis…” Harley paused. “The ‘ _I’_ stands for Ivy.”

Ivy raised an eyebrow at the statement. This prompted Harley to reposition herself so that she could sit facing her girlfriend.

“Let me explain. It’s just…I know that you’re a de facto member of the crew. But I get it now – branding and all. I don’t want you spending all of your time saving our asses when you’ve got your own capers to do.”

Ivy’s eyes held a soft look on them. She grabbed Harley’s hand and laced it together.

Harley continued.”You’re more than my girlfriend, Red. You _are_ Poison Ivy just as how I am Harley Quinn. Our identities shouldn’t be tied down to one another just because we’re together.”

“Harls, I don’t think that we’ll ever stop saving each other’s asses. It came with the BFF job description and the stakes are higher now.”

“Well, Yeah…”

“Besides, we can still join each other’s capers, right?”

Blue eyes brightened at the implication. “Totally!”

Harley stood and led them to the balcony. They looked over the horizon, hands still linked together. The gymnast’s head swirled with possibilities and she’s excited for all of it. She couldn’t wait to get started. No scratch that. It already started.

Harley thought out loud. “Oh man, all those times that I’ve been MIA, Harleen’s been doing all the groundwork.”

“She did?”

“Yeah”

“What about the second one?”

“Villainy? I don’t know Ives, I’ll have to figure that one out as I go.” Harley smiled at her. “As a wise person said, _I’m a good guy, not a bad person_.”

The metahuman couldn’t be more proud. Harley’s growth crushed her like a semi. She shook her head with one word in mind, _Damn._

Harley released her hand and looked at the waters. Ivy did the same. Silence reigned the atmosphere until the blonde voiced out a query. “Hey Ives, ya think we can work long-distance?”

Ivy’s stomach dropped at the question. One simple line and it somehow triggered alarm bells in her head. Her forest green eyes reflected panic.

Harley clasped Ivy’s shoulders. “Okay, so don’t freak out on me. I just want to tell you that moving out of Gotham might be a possibility for me and I don’t want to assume that you are automatically going with me just because you’re my girlfriend now.”

Ivy released the breath that she’s been holding. “Oh. What about your crew, Harls?”

“They’re cool with it. I mean, sane me asked Sy to scout a few places already so King Shark figured it out. And Clayface couldn’t give two shits on where he’ll be acting.”

“Are you sure about this?”

“Not yet”

Ivy wrapped her arms on Harley’s middle. The latter returned the embraced and circled her arms on jacket-clad shoulders. Pamela rested her forehead on hers. “I’m good anywhere Harls. I mean, the quest for saving nature isn’t tied to one place so…” She paused and looked at her eyes. “Do you have a place in mind?”

“Got a few but there’s this one I got my eyes on.”

“Except for me?”

Harley rolled her eyes. “Okay, that was hella cheesy but ya get it.”

“So, where?”

“Coney Island”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What a ride!
> 
> Once upon a time, I decided to make a story after re-watching Harley Quinn for the second time. I made a 9-page draft that had 4k words. 2 months later, I scrapped it for this. 
> 
> Needless to say, this turned out differently than what I initially imagined. But I am happy with it. 
> 
> To all of you who supported this, Thank you very much!
> 
> I wrote a short stand-alone sequel to this so I hope you stay tuned.


End file.
